People watch a fire burning from the Highway 41 overlook on the way north into Oakhurst, Calif., Monday, Aug. 18, 2014. The fire is burning north of the community. (AP Photo/The Fresno Bee, Eric Paul Zamora)

OAKHURST >> Authorities say a wildfire north of Bakersfield burning in steep terrain has destroyed eight homes and is threatening more than a thousand others.

Kern County Fire Capt. Derek Tisinger says the blaze near Lake Isabella is 15 percent contained Wednesday after scorching some 5 square miles, or roughly 3,400 acres. Firefighters stopped the spread of the flames on Tuesday and continued building lines Wednesday.

Tisinger says eight single-family homes have been destroyed since the fire broke out on Monday.

Some 1,500 homes in the Wofford Heights and Kernville areas remain threatened. Residents of about 200 of those homes are under evacuation orders.

The cause of the fire about 50 miles north of Bakersfield is under investigation.